Doge of Genoa

Not to be confused with Duke of Genoa.

The Doge of Genoa (/doʊdʒ/ DOHJ)^[a] was the head of state of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the state's extinction in 1797. Originally elected for life, after 1528 the Doges were elected for terms of two years.^[1] The Republic (or Dogate) was ruled by a small group of merchant families, from whom the doges were selected.

Doge of Genoa
Coat of arms
Giovanni Battista Durazzo
Style	Altezza Serenissima
Residence	Palazzo Ducale
Appointer	Great Council and Minor Council
Formation	23 December 1339
First holder	Simone Boccanegra
Final holder	Giacomo Maria Brignole
Abolished	17 June 1797

Form of address

The Genoese doge's form of address initially was "eccelso" (exalted), then "illustrissimo" (most illustrious), "eccellentissimo" (most excellent), and finally, "serenissimo principe" (most serene prince), "signore" (lord), or "altezza serenissima" (most serene highness).^[2]

History

Flag of Genoa

The Palace of the Doges; view from Piazza Matteotti.

The first Doge of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra (Ligurian: Scimón Boccanéigra), whose name is kept alive by Verdi's opera, was appointed by public acclaim in 1339. Initially the Doge of Genoa was elected without restriction and by popular suffrage, holding office for life in the so-called "perpetual dogate"; but after the reform effected by Andrea Doria in 1528 the term of his office was reduced to two years. At the same time plebeians were declared ineligible, and the appointment of the doge was entrusted to the members of the great council, the Gran Consiglio, who employed for this purpose a complex political system.^[3]

The Palazzo Pubblico, where the Doges had formerly presided, was expanded in 1388 to accommodate the new ruler and style of government, the first of a series of radical reconstructions. It was renamed Palazzo Ducale and magnificently rebuilt in the 16th century. Until recently the palazzo housed courts, but it now functions as Genoa's cultural centre.

Of all the "perpetual" doges of Genoa who ruled for their lifetime, only one ruled for more than eight years. Many resigned or were driven out before taking office. Some failed to complete a single day in power. Between 1339 and 1528, only four Doges were legally elected. Genoa did not trust its Doges; the ruling caste of Genoa tied them to executive committees, kept them on a small budget, and kept them apart from the communal revenues held at the "Casa di San Giorgio".

Still, the position of Doge stood at the head of state patronage, and the city's inner group of leading merchant families vied with each other to place their man in the position. Rival elections were known to take place within the building. In 1389, a frustrated candidate made a surprise return from enforced exile accompanied by 7,000 supporters, and after dining amicably with the incumbent, politely but firmly ejected him, thanking him for serving so ably as his deputy during his own "unavoidable absence" from Genoa.

For generations two powerful families in Genoa all but monopolized the dogate: the Adorno and the Fregoso or di Campofregoso. Tomaso di Campofregoso became Doge three times: in 1415, 1421 and 1437. In 1461, Paolo Fregoso, archbishop of Genoa, enticed the current doge to his own palace, held him hostage and offered him the choice of retiring from the post or being hanged. When Fregoso was in due course himself toppled, he fled to the harbour, commandeered four galleys and launched himself on a whole new career as a pirate.^{[citation needed]} Among other influential families in the republic were the Spinola, the Grimaldi, the Doria and the Durazzo, all these dynasties gave numerous doges to Genoa. While the doge's palace in Venice accumulated great furnishings and works of art over the years, in Genoa, each Doge was expected to arrive with his own furnishings and, when he left, to strip the palace to its bare walls.

In the 16th century, the republic enjoyed a dramatic revival under the leadership of the admiral, statesman and patron of the arts Andrea Doria who ruled the state as a virtual dictator but never actually became doge. It was through the Spanish empire in the New World that Genoa became rich again. And the bankers of Genoa handled Spain's financial business, which vastly enriched Genoa's banking oligarchy.

The Napoleonic Wars put an end to the office of Doge of Genoa. In 1797, when Napoleon Bonaparte incorporated Genoa into the newly organized Ligurian Republic, French soldiers and the city's mob ransacked the Doge's palace.

Election

The Doge's election took place through the vote of the members of the Great Council and Minor Council of Genoa that met in a room with the same name at the Doge's Palace. The voting took place by drawing fifty golden balls which were contained in an urn placed in front of the throne. Thanks to a series of successive votes, the number of candidates was reduced to six and, among the latter, the one who obtained the highest number of votes was elected Doge.^[4]

List of Doges of Genoa

Lifetime office-holders

Simone Boccanegra

• Simone Boccanegra, 1339–1344 (first reign)
• Giovanni I di Murta, 1344–1350
• Giovanni II Valente, 1350–1353
• 1353–1356 – Dogeship vacant.
• Simone Boccanegra, 1356–1363, (second reign)
• Gabriele Adorno, 1363–1370
• Domenico di Campofregoso, 1370–1378
• Antoniotto I Adorno, 17 June 1378 (first reign)
• Nicolò Guarco (or Guasco), 1378–1383
• Antoniotto I Adorno (second reign)
• Federico di Pagana, 7 April 1383
• Leonardo Montaldo, 1383–14 June 1385^[5]
• Antoniotto I Adorno, 15 June 1385 – 1390 (third reign)
• Giacomo Fregoso, 1390–1391
• Antoniotto I Adorno, 1391–1392 (fourth reign)
• Antoniotto Montaldo, 16 June 1392 – 1393 (first reign)
• Pietro Fregoso, 13 July 1393
• Clemente Promontorio, 13 July 1393
• Francesco Giustiniano di Garibaldo, 14 July 1393 – October 1393
• Antoniotto Montaldo, 1 November 1393 – May 1394 (second reign)
• Niccolo Zoagli, 24 May 1394 – September 1394
• Antonio Guarco, 17 September 1394 – 1 October 1394
• Antoniotto I Adorno, 1394–1396, 5th term
• 1396–1413 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa held by the French.
• Giorgio Adorno, 1413–1415
• Barnaba Guano, 29 March 1415 – 3 July 1415
• Tomaso di Campofregoso, 1415–1421 (first reign)
• 1421–1436 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa controlled by Milan.
• Isnardo Guarco, serves as doge for one week in 1436
• Tomaso di Campofregoso, 1436–1437 (second reign)
• Battista Fregoso served as doge for a few hours
• Tomaso di Campofregoso, 1437–1442 (third reign)
• Raffaele Adorno, 28 Jan 1443 – 4 Jan 1447
• Barnaba Adorno, 4 Jan 1447 – 30 Jan 1447
• Giano I di Campofregoso, 30 Jan 1447 – Dec 1448
• Lodovico di Campofregoso, 1448–1450 (first reign)
• Pietro di Campofregoso, 1450–1458
• 1458–1461 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa occupied by France.
• Prospero Adorno, 12 March 1461 – 8 July 1461^[6]
• Spinetta Fregoso, 8 July 1461 – 11 July 1461
• Lodovico di Campofregoso, July 1461 – March 1462 (second reign)
• Paolo Fregoso, March 1462, served simultaneously as Archbishop of Genoa.
• Lodovico di Campofregoso, 8 June 1462 (third reign)
• Paolo Fregoso, 9 June 1462 – late 1463 (second reign)
• Genoa accepts the rule of Francesco Sforza, no doge, 1463–1477
• Prospero Adorno, 17 Aug 1477 – 25 Nov 1477 (second reign)
• Battista Fregoso, 26 November 1478 – 25 November 1483
• Paolo Fregoso, 1483–1488 (third reign)
• 1488–1499 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa ruled by Sforza.
• 1499–1507 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa occupied by France.
• Paolo da Novi, 10 April 1507 – late 1507
• 1507–1511 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa occupied by France.
• Giano II di Campofregoso, 1512–1513
• Ottaviano Fregoso, 1513–1515
• 1515–1522 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa occupied by France.
• Antoniotto II Adorno, 1522–1527
• 1527–1528 – Dogeship vacant. Genoa ruled by France.

Doges elected for two years

From 1528 to 1599

Giacomo Grimaldi Durazzo

From	To	Doge	Notes
12 October 1528	4 January 1531	Oberto Cattaneo Lazzari
4 January 1531	4 January 1533	Battista Spinola
4 January 1533	4 January 1535	Battista Lomellini
4 January 1535	4 January 1537	Cristoforo Grimaldi Rosso
4 January 1537	4 January 1539	Giovanni Battista Doria
4 January 1539	4 January 1541	Giannandrea Giustiniani Longo
4 January 1541	4 January 1543	Leonardo Cattaneo della Volta
4 January 1543	4 January 1545	Andrea Centurione Pietrasanta
4 January 1545	4 January 1547	Giovanni Battista De Fornari
4 January 1547	4 January 1549	Benedetto Gentile Pevere
4 January 1549	4 January 1551	Gaspare Grimaldi Bracelli
4 January 1551	4 January 1553	Luca Spinola
4 January 1553	4 January 1555	Giacomo Promontorio
4 January 1555	4 January 1557	Agostino Pinelli Ardimenti
4 January 1557	3 December 1558	Pietro Giovanni Chiavica Cibo	Died in office.
4 January 1559	4 January 1561	Girolamo Vivaldi
4 January 1561	27 September 1561	Paolo Battista Giudice Calvi	Died in office.
4 October 1561	4 October 1563	Giovanni Battista Cicala Zoagli
7 October 1563	7 October 1565	Giovanni Battista Lercari
11 October 1565	11 October 1567	Ottavio Gentile Oderico
15 October 1567	3 October 1569	Simone Spinola
6 October 1569	6 October 1571	Paolo Giustiniani Moneglia
10 October 1571	10 October 1573	Giannotto Lomellini
16 October 1573	17 October 1575	Giacomo Grimaldi Durazzo
17 October 1575	17 October 1577	Prospero Centurione Fattinanti
19 October 1577	19 October 1579	Giovanni Battista Gentile Pignolo
20 October 1579	20 October 1581	Nicolò Doria
21 October 1581	21 October 1583	Gerolamo De Franchi Toso
4 November 1583	4 November 1585	Gerolamo Chiavari
8 November 1585	13 November 1587	Ambrogio Di Negro
14 November 1587	14 November 1589	Davide Vacca
20 November 1589	15 November 1591	Battista Negrone
27 November 1591	26 November 1593	Giovanni Agostino Giustiniani Campi
27 November 1593	26 November 1595	Antonio Grimaldi Cebà
5 December 1595	4 December 1597	Matteo Senarega
7 December 1597	15 February 1599	Lazzaro Grimaldi Cebà

From 1599 to 1650

Giovanni Francesco I Brignole Sale

From	To	Doge	Notes
22 February 1599	21 February 1601	Lorenzo Sauli
24 February 1601	25 February 1603	Agostino Doria
26 February 1603	27 February 1605	Pietro De Franchi Sacco
1 March 1605	2 March 1607	Luca Grimaldi De Castro
3 March 1607	17 March 1607	Silvestro Invrea
22 March 1607	23 March 1609	Gerolamo Assereto
1 April 1609	2 April 1611	Agostino Pinelli Luciani
6 April 1611	6 April 1613	Alessandro Giustiniani Longo
21 April 1613	21 April 1615	Tomaso Spinola
25 April 1615	25 April 1617	Bernardo Clavarezza
25 April 1617	29 April 1619	Giovanni Giacomo Imperiale Tartaro
2 May 1619	2 May 1621	Pietro Durazzo
4 May 1621	12 June 1621	Ambrogio Doria	Died in office.
22 June 1621	22 June 1623	Giorgio Centurione
25 June 1623	16 June 1625	Federico De Franchi Toso
16 June 1625	25 June 1627	Giacomo Lomellini
28 June 1627	28 June 1629	Giovanni Luca Chiavari
26 June 1629	26 June 1631	Andrea Spinola
30 June 1631	30 June 1633	Leonardo Della Torre
5 July 1633	5 July 1635	Giovanni Stefano Doria
11 July 1635	11 July 1637	Giovanni Francesco I Brignole Sale
13 July 1637	13 July 1639	Agostino Pallavicini
28 July 1639	28 July 1641	Giovanni Battista Durazzo
14 August 1641	19 June 1642	Giovanni Agostino De Marini	Died in office.
4 July 1642	4 July 1644	Giovanni Battista Lercari
21 July 1644	21 July 1646	Luca Giustiniani
24 July 1646	24 July 1648	Giovanni Battista Lomellini
1 August 1648	1 August 1650	Giacomo De Franchi Toso

From 1650 to 1699

Oberto Della Torre

From	To	Doge	Notes
23 August 1650	23 August 1652	Agostino Centurione
8 September 1652	8 September 1654	Gerolamo De Franchi Toso
9 October 1654	9 October 1656	Alessandro Spinola
12 October 1656	12 October 1658	Giulio Sauli
15 October 1658	15 October 1660	Giovanni Battista Centurione
28 October 1660	22 March 1661	Gian Bernardo Frugoni	Died in office.
28 March 1661	29 March 1663	Antoniotto Invrea
13 April 1663	12 April 1665	Stefano De Mari
18 April 1665	18 April 1667	Cesare Durazzo
10 May 1667	10 May 1669	Cesare Gentile
18 June 1669	18 June 1671	Francesco Garbarino
27 June 1671	27 June 1673	Alessandro Grimaldi
5 July 1673	4 July 1675	Agostino Saluzzo
11 July 1675	11 July 1677	Antonio Da Passano
16 July 1677	16 July 1679	Giannettino Odone
29 July 1679	29 July 1681	Agostino Spinola
13 August 1681	13 August 1683	Luca Maria Invrea
18 August 1683	18 August 1685	Francesco Maria Imperiale Lercari
23 August 1685	23 August 1687	Pietro Durazzo
27 August 1687	27 August 1689	Luca Spinola
31 August 1689	1 September 1691	Oberto Della Torre
4 September 1691	5 September 1693	Giovanni Battista Cattaneo Della Volta
9 September 1693	9 September 1695	Francesco Invrea
16 September 1695	16 September 1697	Bendinelli Negrone
19 September 1697	26 May 1699	Francesco Maria Sauli	Died in office.

From 1699 to 1750

Nicolò Cattaneo Della Volta

From	To	Doge	Notes
3 June 1699	3 June 1701	Girolamo De Mari
7 June 1701	7 June 1703	Federico De Franchi Toso
1 August 1703	1 August 1705	Antonio Grimaldi
22 August 1705	22 August 1707	Stefano Onorato Ferretti
9 September 1707	9 September 1709	Domenico Maria De Mari
14 September 1709	14 September 1711	Vincenzo Durazzo
22 September 1711	22 September 1713	Francesco Maria Imperiale
22 September 1713	22 September 1715	Giovanni Antonio Giustiniani
26 September 1715	26 September 1717	Lorenzo Centurione
30 September 1717	30 September 1719	Benedetto Viale
4 October 1719	4 October 1721	Ambrogio Imperiale
8 October 1721	8 October 1723	Cesare De Franchi Toso
13 October 1723	13 October 1725	Domenico Negrone
18 January 1726	18 January 1728	Gerolamo Veneroso
22 January 1728	22 January 1730	Luca Grimaldi
20 January 1730	20 January 1732	Francesco Maria Balbi
29 January 1732	29 January 1734	Domenico Maria Spinola
3 February 1734	3 February 1736	Stefano Durazzo
7 February 1736	7 February 1738	Nicolò Cattaneo Della Volta	2nd King of Corsica (following the downfall of Theodor Stephan Freiherr von Neuhoff, the island was annexed to Genoa and the doges also became Kings of Corsica).
7 February 1738	7 February 1740	Costantino Balbi	3rd King of Corsica
16 February 1740	16 February 1742	Nicolò Spinola	4th King of Corsica
20 February 1742	20 February 1744	Domenico Canevaro	5th King of Corsica
1 February 1744	1 February 1746	Lorenzo De Mari	6th King of Corsica
3 March 1746	3 March 1748	Giovanni Francesco II Brignole Sale	7th King of Corsica
6 March 1748	6 March 1750	Cesare Cattaneo Della Volta	8th King of Corsica

From 1750 to 1797

Stefano Lomellini

From	To	Doge	Notes
10 March 1750	10 March 1752	Agostino Viale	9th King of Corsica
28 March 1752	7 June 1752	Stefano Lomellini	10th King of Corsica. Abdicated
7 June 1752	7 June 1754	Giovanni Battista Grimaldi	11th King of Corsica
23 June 1754	23 June 1756	Gian Giacomo Veneroso	12th and last King of Corsica
22 June 1756	22 June 1758	Giovanni Giacomo Grimaldi
22 August 1758	22 August 1760	Matteo Franzoni
22 September 1760	10 September 1762	Agostino Lomellini
25 November 1762	25 November 1764	Rodolfo Emilio Brignole Sale
29 January 1765	29 January 1767	Francesco Maria Della Rovere
3 February 1767	3 February 1769	Marcello Durazzo
16 February 1769	16 February 1771	Giovanni Battista Negrone
16 April 1771	16 April 1773	Giovanni Battista Cambiaso
7 January 1773	9 January 1773	Ferdinando Spinola
26 January 1773	26 January 1775	Pier Francesco Grimaldi
31 January 1775	31 January 1777	Brizio Giustiniani
4 February 1777	4 February 1779	Giuseppe Lomellini
4 March 1779	4 March 1781	Giacomo Maria Brignole
8 March 1781	8 March 1783	Marco Antonio Gentile
6 May 1783	6 May 1785	Giovanni Battista Ayroli
6 June 1785	6 June 1787	Gian Carlo Pallavicino
4 July 1787	4 July 1789	Raffaele Agostino De Ferrari
30 July 1789	30 July 1791	Alerame Maria Pallavicini
3 September 1791	3 September 1793	Michelangelo Cambiaso
16 September 1793	16 September 1795	Giuseppe Maria Doria
17 November 1795	17 November 1797	Giacomo Maria Brignole	Final Genoese Doge. Position abolished after Napoleon took Genoa.

• A complete list is at Italian Wikipedia: Elenco dei Dogi della Repubblica di Genova.

See also

• Doge of Venice

Notes

1. Ligurian: Dûxe da Repùbrica de Zêna, pronounced [ˈdyːʒe da ɾeˈpybɾika de ˈzeːna]; Italian: Doge della Repubblica di Genova; Latin: Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People".

References

1. Chisholm 1911.
2. "Dogi della Repubblica di Genova". palazzodogeferretto (in Italian). Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
3.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Doge". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 380.
4. "Dogi della Repubblica di Genova". palazzodogeferretto (in Italian). Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
5. Steven Epstein. Genoa and the Genoese. p. 243
6. expelled from office by Paolo Fregoso, Archbishop of Genoa.

External links

• Complete list of Genoese Doges at the "Regnal Chronologies" website
• History of the Ligurian Republic, 1797 – 1805